Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1887-06-03
DIR WASHINGTON LETTER.
Regular Correspondent.

Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, May 20, 1887.
Soldier boys from Puget Sound
Texas, New Orleans and other points
have already arrived, and thousands oi
others are bowling along over the rail
roads on their way to Camp George
Washington. The latter name is the
christening that the camp will receive
on next Monday, when the Drill will
he formally opened. At the camp
ground no drum has beat yet, but the
reveille is sounded by the lively ring
of hundreds of hammers.
The busiest scenes are around the
base of the Washington Monument
Scores of men are at work there put
ting down plank floors for the tents
Nearly all of the Monument grounds
will be appropriated for this purpose
Scores of carpenters are also working
hard on the grand stand in the Drill
inclosure from which the contest will
be viewed. The Drill ground is pro-
baby the finest piece of grass land
which could have been found for the
purpose in the whole country. 1t is
now entirely enclosed within board
fence twelve feet high. There are
about ten acres of green as smooth
and fiat as a tennis-lawn. The plot is
oval and the grand stand extends just
half around it. From this the view
is very fine whatever way you look.
To the southwark the white marble
Monument, the highest in the world
glistens in the sunshine. The view
northward is particularly fine. To the
left lie the magnificent War, State and
Navy Department building, and to the
right the solid, old granite Treasury
while between the two the White
House smiles through groups of tall
green trees. The Corcoran building,
Albaugh's Theater and the Panorama
building of the battle of Bulls Run
are all near by, and although rather
too far for perfect satisfaction, the roof
of any Of them would afford a clear
view of the entire Drill ground.
The Interstate Commerce Commits
sion has returned home from its wan
derings, and has decided it can best
attend to its duties by remaining in
Washington after this. The Commits
sioners have much work before them
yet before they can give final deci-
sion as to the famous " long and short
haup clause. The Queen and Cres-
cent and the Illinois Central railroads
have not yet presented their cases, and
their testimony will be taken here.
Other roads have asked permission to
submit written statements, giving the
facts more in .detail than they could
in their testimony before the Commits
sion. These documents will take time
for consideration. The testimony the
Commission took ON it's trip has not
yet been written out, and when it is it
will have to be gone over carefully,
SO that you see there is considerable
work to be done before a decision can
be reached.
The new rules adopted by the Civil
Service Commission and approved by
the President have been the sole topic
Of discussion among department clerks
for the past fortnight. The agitation
among the old employees is almost
painful to see. These people are very
panicy nowadays at best, and any
thing looking to more rigid wedding
out of Republicans frightens them, as
well it may. Most of them would be
in deplorable condition if removed
from their official positions. Nothing
is calculated to cause greater conster-
nation in Washington than the con-
tingency of dismissal, based on the ap-
plication of new and strange condi-
tions. Whenever a vacancy occurs all
the clerks of the department in the
class below it must become candidates
for promotion and face the competitive
examination. They have no discre-
ton in the matter, for the order is
mandatory. Thus, not only does the
clerk best fitted for the promotion get
the vacant place, but the status of all
the rest is ascertained. Persons who
get an average Of Is per cent. in the
markings of the examiners, as you re-
member, are secured in their positions
and are declared eligible for promotion.
All who fail to obtain that average are
re-examined in six months, and, if they
again fail, they become eligible to re-
ducti0n or dismissal.
So, of course, the terrible chances
involved in the new rules cause great
excitement among Government em-